One of the workers who tried to cover up the botched demolition of the Kensington Heights public housing complex was sentenced today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy to a year of probation.

Henry Hawkins, a compliance monitor on the failed project, had previously admitted falsifying inspection reports in order to protect Johnson Contracting, the now-defunct Buffalo company hired to remove asbestos from the complex’s six towers.

Patrick J. Brown, Hawkins’ defense lawyer, said his client regrets his actions and has suffered a loss of reputation as a result of his criminal conduct.

Hawkins was one of 11 defendants – nine individuals and two companies – charged in connection with the asbestos-removal project on Fillmore Avenue.

The case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango.